Staying current with the most recent advances gives you the best chance to be prepared should cancer affect you or a loved one. A variety of breakthroughs in cancer treatment, diagnosis, and prevention have taken place in recent years through the introduction of DNA sequencing, molecular diagnostics, and personalized medicine. Here are some facts you should know:
1) Molecular diagnostics and testing provide an alternative to traditional biopsies
While a biopsy (in which a sample of tissue is surgically removed) used to be the only option for determining if cancer is present, molecular diagnostic tests of cells and urine have been able to provide an alternative to traditional biopsy. Molecular testing can detect some of the mutations most strongly associated with cancer development. The urine-based molecular oncology tests offered by Trovagene can detect the V600E BRAF mutation, KRAS mutations, and EGFR mutations non-invasively, by analyzing DNA in tumor cells present in the urine.
2) Some cancers are preventable by vaccination
The idea that cancer could be prevented with a vaccine used to be a pipedream, but now, this type of protection is a reality for some cancer types. Certain cancers can occur as a result of persistent viral infections, and it is these cancers for which vaccines have been developed. The two cancer-associated viruses for which vaccines are currently available are human papilloma virus (HPV) and hepatitis B virus. The vaccine for HPV is approved for use in 9- to 26-year-olds and protects against some of the HPV types that most often lead to cancer, including cervical, vaginal, vulvar, and anal cancers. The vaccine for hepatitis B virus can prevent infections that would otherwise lead to chronic liver disease or liver cancer.
3) Laparoscopic surgery provides an alternative to traditional open surgery techniques
Laparoscopic surgery, sometimes referred to as minimally invasive surgery, has been hailed as one of the most exciting developments in the field of surgery in the last 25 years. Laparoscopic surgery provides an alternative to traditional “open” surgery techniques and is much less invasive, relying on a series of relatively small incisions rather than a single, large incision. For example, studies have shown that laparoscopic surgery is at least as safe and effective for treatment of colorectal cancers compared with traditional open surgical techniques. Laparoscopic surgical techniques are constantly being studied and used in various cancer types.
4) Cancer therapies are becoming increasingly targeted
Conventional chemotherapy kills most rapidly dividing cells (both healthy and cancerous) in order to thwart cancer, but this toxicity often results in the notorious side effects of chemotherapy, such as vomiting and hair loss. The modern era of medicine has brought about a sea change in cancer therapy, resulting in therapies that target cancer cells while leaving healthy cells unaffected.
Targeted cancer therapies are directed towards specific features of a cancer type in a particular person (referred to as “personalized medicine”). Targeted therapies, often given in the form of monoclonal antibodies, can inhibit cancer cell growth by shutting off blood supply to tumors, stopping them from growing bigger. Therapies can also directly target specific proteins on the surface of cancer cells that impact cancer cell growth. Importantly, in some settings, targeted therapies and traditional chemotherapy can be used together to improve outcomes over chemotherapy alone.
